Edwin B. Fitzpatrick – Killed In The Line Of Duty October 17, 1928
Patrolman Edwin B. Fitzpatrick, one of the original Union County Park Police Patrolman, was killed in the line of duty on October 17, 1928. Patrolman Fitzpatrick, while on motorcycle patrol, was struck head-on by a one armed drunk driver from New Brunswick. Patrolman Fitzpatrick sustained a punctured lung, fractured hip, double fracture in his right arm and multiple internal injuries after being thrown over the handlebars of his police motorcycle. The motorcycle was dragged forty feet by the drunk driver’s Studebaker sedan. Patrolman Fitzpatrick, at age 27, died a short time later at St. Elizabeth Hospital, Elizabeth, New Jersey. The drunk driver had left the area on foot, but was apprehended about an hour later when he returned to the scene. He served 60 days in the Union County Jail, was fined $400.00 and had his driving privileges revoked for two years.
Patrolman Fitzpatrick’s name appears on the Union County Memorial to it’s officers killed in the line of duty at the John H. Stamler Police Academy in Scotch Plains on which was dedicated November 22, 1993. The memorial can be found in the rear of the Police Academy building adjacent to the Ashbrook Reservation. The name of every Police Officer from a Union County Police Department that has made the ultimate sacrifice has his named inscribed on the monument.
Patrolman Fitzpatrick’s name was added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. on May 13, 1994. Several current members of the Union County Police Department were in attendance that day when his name was added. The Memorial wall encompasses the entire nation and U.S Territories. Any Officer’s name, who was killed in the line of duty is eligible for placement on the wall. The location of Patrolman Edwin B. Fitzpatrick’s name is Line 19, Panel 36 WEST. The website for the National Law Enforcement Memorial can be found at www.nleomf.com.